PWHL playoff preview: Who will capture the Walter Cup?

Four teams remain in the quest to claim the Walter Cup, the PWHL's holy grail.

Half of the league's teams made the post-season cut off in its third season, which came down to the wire last Saturday.

Just one game decided first and second place atop the standings between the Montreal Victoire and Boston Fleet, and one game decided whether the Ottawa Charge or Toronto Sceptres would secure the fourth and final playoff spot.

The Victoire finished first and earned the right to choose its first-round playoff opponent. Montreal selected the two-time champions, the Minnesota Frost. The series will begin on Saturday at 2 p.m. ET, followed by Game 2 on Tuesday, May 5 at 7 p.m. ET.

In the other semifinal, the Boston Fleet have home-ice advantage against the Ottawa Charge. Game 1 in Lowell, Mass. is set for Thursday at 7 p.m., followed by Game 2 on Saturday at 7 p.m.

Ottawa Charge coach, players give pulse check before heading to playoffs at Boston

"At the end of the day, you don't know what the key ingredients are going to be [to win a Walter Cup]," said Ottawa Charge head coach Carla MacLeod, whose team lost in the final to Minnesota last season. "You've got to play it, to live it, and that's what we're most excited about."

Here's a look at what to expect and key storylines to watch in each playoff series.

No team has been hotter than the Victoire in the second half of the season. Montreal set a PWHL record by recording points in 16 consecutive games.

What made that streak even more impressive is that the Victoire played stretches without key players, including captain Marie-Philip Poulin, defender Erin Ambrose and forward Maureen Murphy.

In the past two post-season campaigns, where the Victoire failed to make it past the first